Reef Supplements Overview

Drs. Foster & Smith Educational Staff

Your success at keeping aquarium corals and invertebrates depends upon your success at recreating natural conditions. In the ocean, there is a constant source of vital minerals, nutrients, and vitamins. In a closed aquarium environment, some of these essential minerals are depleted as corals and invertebrates use them to grow.

Aquarium additives replenish essential mineral and nutrient levels to provide an ongoing source corals and invertebrates need for proper growth, physical strength, biological function, and coloration. They also help the organism resist minor changes in water conditions, as well as diseases.

While the addition and maintenance of calcium and alkalinity in reef aquariums is well recognized, the replenishment rate of other specific minerals and trace elements is not as well understood. Use the following chart as a general guide when selecting the appropriate supplements for your corals and invertebrates. Always follow the manufacturer's recommended dosage directions.